Marijuana stocks riding high on Trump commitment

Canadian and U.S. marijuana stocks are riding high up on news that President Donald Trump will support congressional efforts to safeguard states that have legalized marijuana, which is unlawful south of the border under federal law.

Certified manufacturer Aphria Inc.’s stock increased nearly 15 per cent to close at $11.40 on the Toronto Stock Exchange while Friday Night Inc., which owns cannabis properties in Las Vegas, saw its shares rise by more than 20 percent to close at $0.65 on the Canadian Securities Exchange.

Liberty Health Sciences, which has interests in U.S. states where the drug is legal and where Aphria has a stake, saw its shares rise more than 19 per cent to close at $0.99 on the CSE.

While several states have actually legislated cannabis for medical or recreational use, marijuana stays an unlawful schedule 1 drug under U.S. federal law.

And in January, U.S. Attorney General Of The United States Jeff Sessions rescinded an Obama-era memo which recommended that the federal government would not intervene in states where the drug is legal and stated it would be up to federal prosecutors to choose how strongly to implement the law.

But earlier today, Colorado Senator Cory Gardner stated he got a dedication from Trump that the memo’s recission would not affect Colorado’s legal cannabis market, ending a standoff with the United States Department of Justice.

In reaction to Sessions’ recission of the Cole Memorandum, Gardner had positioned a hang on all Department of Justice candidates until he received a commitment that Colorado’s rights would not be infringed.

” President Trump has actually assured me that he will support a federalism-based legislative service to repair this states’ rights issue at last,” Gardner stated in a declaration. “Since of these commitments, I have notified the Administration that I will be lifting my staying hangs on Department of Justice candidates.”

Almost all marijuana stocks got a lift from the news, even those without U.S. direct exposure. Canopy Development Corp.’s shares increased 7.84 percent to close at $29.84, while Aurora Cannabis’ stock rose 8.58 percent to close at $8.73 on the TSX.

” This follows our thesis and outstanding for U.S. marijuana operators,” he said in a note to clients.

Marc Lustig, president of CannaRoyalty, called the change in tone at the United States federal level “considerable.”.

” Offered just how much bigger the United States marijuana market is in contrast to Canada or other country this development is potentially game-changing for market individuals,” he said in an emailed declaration. “As one of the biggest licensed operators of marijuana in the state of California, we expect this turnabout to considerably clarify things in state-legal markets.”.